A
Chinese education company backed by U.S. investors including Kobe Bryant is
cracking down on how its Western teachers cover politically fraught topics.

VIPKid,
one of China’s most valuable online education startups, has put hundreds of its
mostly American teachers on notice for using certain maps in their classes with
Chinese students, and has severed two teachers’ contracts for discussing Taiwan
and Tiananmen Square in ways at odds with Chinese government preferences,
people familiar with the company say. Since last fall, teachers’ contracts
state that discussing “politically contentious” topics could be cause for
dismissal, according to one reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

The
moves highlight the balance a Chinese company must strike in fulfilling global
aspirations while toeing Beijing’s line. Five-year-old VIPKid is currently in
talks to raise as much as $500 million in new funding from U.S. and other
investors that could value the company at roughly $6 billion, people familiar
with the fundraising said.

“A company must keep good relations with the government and ideology,” said Peter Fuhrman, chief executive of investment firm China First Capital . “But that can cause friction when you’re also courting foreign investors, expanding business overseas and employing a large American workforce.”

Beijing-based
VIPKid says it has more than 60,000 teachers in the U.S. and Canada who teach
English to more than 500,000 children ages 4 through 15, who live mostly in
China. Teachers work as independent contractors and can earn between $14 and
$22 an hour. They must have a bachelor’s degree, at least one year of teaching
experience and eligibility to work in the U.S. or Canada.

Curricula
are provided, and teachers give English-language instruction, sometimes using
geography or historical figures. VIPKid’s approach is consistent with maps and
materials in the Chinese education curriculum, which calls Taiwan a part of
China. Textbooks don’t mention the military’s suppression of the Tiananmen
Square pro-democracy demonstrators in 1989, and discussion of it is forbidden.

A
spokesman said VIPKid has “an elevated level of responsibility to protect the
safety and emotional development of the young children on our platform.” The
company expects teachers to understand cultural expectations, he said, adding
it had to “make a difficult decision” to terminate the contracts of “an exceptionally
small number of teachers” who “decided to ignore the needs of their students”
and “the preference of their parents.”

The
company’s actions have rankled some teachers. Typically, these instructors have
displayed maps of the world, including China, that they found on their own.
Starting last fall, hundreds began receiving emails or calls from VIPKid
stating their maps weren’t aligned with Chinese education standards, people
familiar with the matter said. Teachers who refuse to adhere to the map standards
could have their contracts terminated, after conversations with VIPKid.
Map-related dismissals haven’t happened, said a person familiar with the
company.

Will
Rodgers, a 26-year-old American teacher based in Thailand, said he discussed
Tiananmen Square twice during VIPKid lessons about famous Chinese landmarks.
First, he told a 12-year-old student “the Chinese government jailed and killed
many people just for protesting.” He then showed a 15-year-old student photos
and video footage of the protest, and his contract was terminated. Mr. Rodgers
said he doesn’t agree with VIPKid’s stance, but doesn’t blame the company for
ending his contract.

Another
American teacher’s contract was terminated earlier this year after he told
students that Taiwan was a separate country, according to people familiar with
his case. A third teacher received a call from VIPKid after telling a student
that Tibet, an autonomous region in China with a history of separatist
activity, is a country, during a lesson on China’s neighbors, according to a
person familiar with the matter. He was told on the call he should refer to
Tibet as part of China.

People
familiar with VIPKid say it monitors classes for missteps over political
content. Another person familiar with the matter said the company uses
artificial intelligence to determine material students find engaging and to
protect them from inappropriate behavior.

Some
teachers and VIPKid investors say that education from foreign teachers, even if
it is screened, can benefit students because they get exposed to other
cultures. Rob Hutter, a founder and managing partner of Learn Capital, an early
investor in VIPKid, said the company is trying to take a common-sense approach
by teaching uncontroversial content.

“No
matter what nation you’re teaching in, there are going to be things that we
need to be thoughtful about,” he said. “Even in American classrooms, there are
things you cannot discuss.”

“No matter what nation you’re teaching in, there are going to be things that we need to be thoughtful about,” he said. “Even in American classrooms, there are things you cannot discuss.”

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